Navy searches for companies able to integrate hypersonic weapons aboard Navy Zumwalt-class destroyers
WASHINGTON – U.S. Navy surface warship experts are reaching out to industry to find companies able to help integrate future hypersonic weapons aboard the Navy's three stealthy Zumwalt-class (DDG 1000) destroyers.
Officials of the Navy Strategic Systems Programs in Washington issued a sources-sought notice (N00030-21-R-0025) on Thursday for the Navy Conventional Prompt Strike Weapon System Platform-Specific Development and Production project.
Navy experts are asking industry to weigh-in on capabilities to integrate hypersonic weapons aboard the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), and the USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002).
The three Zumwalt-class destroyers are multi-mission stealth ships that focus on land attack, with secondary roles of surface warfare, anti-aircraft warfare, naval gunfire support. The label destroyer is somewhat of a misnomer because the Zumwalt-class vessels are about the size of small World War II battleships.
Installing hypersonic weapons aboard these three vessels is to be part of the Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike project to launch attacks against targets around the world in less than an hour. The focus is on attacking high-value, or fleeting targets, with extremely fast hypersonic weapons, which can fly faster than five times the speed of sound.
The Navy Conventional Prompt Strike Weapon System Platform-Specific Development and Production project focuses on systems system architecture; subsystem, component, and test requirements; design analysis, and design integration; system integration, verification, and validation testing to support initial operating capability.
Other areas of the project seek to increase today's industrial base capability for Navy and Army long-range hypersonic weapons; build ready-to-fire hypersonic weapons with diameters larger than 30 inches. This would consist of an encapsulated missile with a hypersonic glide body provided as government furnished equipment; and canister to support the Navy Zumwalt-class ship and future Army weapon systems.
The project will build an advanced payload module with weapons in a three-pack configuration, with interfaces between the ship and the weapons, with support structure, protection, compressed-air ejectors, and environmental control to support the Zumwalt-class destroyer.
In particular, Navy experts are looking for companies able to serve as the prime program manager and systems integrator; capability to support large-scale production and testing.
Companies interested should email white papers no later than 5 April 2021 to the Navy's Samuel Bouchelle at [email protected], with “Notice for Platform-Specific conventional prompt strike Integration” in the subject line.
More information is online at https://beta.sam.gov/opp/b76c7df8a59a4f54810549c41e566903/view.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
